How to engage people when writing about machines

Writing about consumer technology can be a challenging task for PR professionals. There are technical aspects that need to be covered which might not always be easily comprehensible to the general public. The major selling points of your products are typically something along the lines of speed, size, image resolution or some other tech-heavy term that could seem a bit bland as well as incomprehensible.

Focusing your attention on the benefits of the new product is key to writing a good tech pitch. While cool features sound fun, customers care about how those features will benefit them and make their lives easier. So what’s the best way to write about your product so a reporter considers your device worth writing about? Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Consider your audience

The target audience for the outlet you’re pitching to should always be at the front of your mind when writing about hardware. For example, if it’s a parenting blog, then consider ways your product will make life easier for the family. Or if you’re pitching to an entrepreneurial magazine, emphasize how your product will help the reader improve business efficiency.

Emphasize why it’s different

The consumer tech sector is flooded with new products in the market every day. The challenge for journalists and bloggers is to find out what products are groundbreaking and which ones don’t really offer anything new. Therefore, it’s your job to point this out and make it a key focus of your pitch. Focus on what makes your product new, different and exciting!

Be creative with how you depict your features

Don’t just point your features quantitatively. In addition to being difficult to comprehend what the numbers actually mean, it can also be just outright boring. Paint a picture for your audience so the numbers actually translate into something more relatable. So for instance, instead of listing the numerical measurements of a product, say it’s the size of a deck of cards, or instead of rattling the memory of a camera in terabytes, say it can hold up to this many travel photos.

Compare and Contrast

A great way to show how your product offers something more and better is to use familiar products as a comparison. This provides a quick way to show how your technology is more advanced and provides better solutions that the solutions offered previously. Use comparative phrases like “holds twice as many books as a Kindle” or “costs half as much as an iPad”. In this way, you can really point out, in a few words, how your technology is an improvement on existing technology.

Providing solutions

People are most attracted to technology when it solves common problems. It might provide a solution to something as trivial as earphones that keep falling out during a workout or something that can change people’s lives such as an insulin pump. Despite the severity of the problem your product is solving, the main goal of your pitch should be to focus on the people who will be using your product and how you can make their lives even a little bit easier.

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